A look at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Published: Jul 15, 2018

Nasim Anabestani

In the world of cinema July holds a special place. Every year in this month the filmmakers and cinema enthusiast gather together in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic to attend the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

in 1946 a non-competition festival of films from seven countries took place in Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary. it was intended to screen the results of the recently nationalized Czechoslovak film industry. After the first two years the festival moved permanently to Karlovy Vary, the place that gave the festival its name.

first held an international film competition of this festival was held in 1948. The Karlovy Vary competition quickly found a place among other developing festivals and by 1956 FIAPF had already classified Karlovy Vary as a category A festival. Given the creation of the Moscow Film Festival and the political decision to organize only one "A" festival for all socialist countries, Karlovy Vary was forced to alternate year by year with Moscow.

The social and political changes that took place after the Velvet Revolution in November 1989 pushed concerns about organizing the Karlovy Vary IFF to the background. But in 1990 the festival was revived once again with the release of a collection of Czechoslovak films which had been locked up for years in a storage vault. Another help came in the form of the appearance of a number of international guests such as Miloš Forman, Lindsay Anderson, Annette Bening and Robert De Niro. But this did not grantee that the festival will be held moving forward. Financial problems and a lack of interest on the part of the government, organizers and viewers almost ended the festival's long tradition in 1992.

But after nearly forty years of alternating with the Moscow IFF, the change that the festival needed finally appeared and the festival began once again to take place every year. The Karlovy Vary Film Festival Foundation was set up in 1993 co-created by the Ministry of Culture, The City of Karlovy Vary, and the Grand Hotel Pupp. Actor Jiří Bartoška was invited to be the festival's president, and Eva Zaoralová became program director in 1995.

The core of the festival’s program is the feature film competition; in accordance with FIAPF regulations only those films which have not been shown in competition at any other international festivals can be included. The documentary competition is another important festival event. The program also features both distribution pre-premiers and films awarded at other festivals. But it also includes discoveries of artistic creations by independent directors, productions coming out of little known film industries, retrospectives, and an overview of Czech film output during the past year. For the tenth straight year the festival will present Variety Critics' Choice: new and interesting films of mainly European production selected by critics working at this prestigious magazine. Another important part of the festival seminars are focusing primarily on European film.

Thousands of visitors and the great variety of films testify to the effectiveness of the program team with program director Eva Zaoralová at its head. Due to their valiant efforts many films will be purchased at the festival for wider distribution or, thanks to receiving a festival award, will attract the attention of major producers, distributors, and the media.

The Grand Prize of the festival has been the Crystal Globe Since 1948 which as of the 35th Karlovy Vary IFF 2000 the Crystal Globe has taken on the form of a woman standing while raising a crystal ball.

Moreover, the Feature Film Competition is divided into the following main awards; Grand Prix or Crystal Globe for best feature film with a monetary award of $25,000, Special Jury Prize with a monetary award of $15,000, Best Director Award, Best Actress Award and the Best Actor Award.

The Documentary Competition is divided into the following main awards: Best Documentary Film in the category for film lasting 30 minutes or less and Best Documentary Film in the category for film lasting above 30 minutes in length

Another award also presents at the festival each year is the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema.

As with many other festivals around the world, Karlovy Vary is another important event for filmmakers to showcase their works at and this year’s festival was no different.

The 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival kicked off with a lavish red carpet gala. Stars attending the festival include the Hollywood actor Tim Robbins who received an outstanding contribution to world cinema award at the opening ceremony.

The festival also welcomed Hollywood actor Robert Pattinson, director Barry Levinson and director Taika Waititi and producer Carthew Neal, who are currently shooting their latest film, Jojo Rabbit, in the Czech Republic.

The festival’s history was visible in its rich line-up, particularly the East of the West section, which showcased 12 titles. Seven of these titles were from female directors and eight of them had world premieres. The Polish-Czech-Macedonia co-production “Via Carpatia” was the debuting Polish feature film from directors Kasper Bajon and Klara Kochańska, who won a Student Academy Award for her short film “The Tenants” in 2016 and drew a strong response for its look at a middle-class couple who embark on a journey to a refugee camp at the Greek-Macedonian border. Another well received film was the dreamy, fable-like Hungarian drama Blossom Valley for its fresh take on lost, young lovers. This film was also screened at the Special Jury Prize section. Tonia Mishiali’s Cypriate drama “Pause” was also able to receive an affecting response from the audiences by highlighting the gender inequality women must contend with in many marriages around the world.

Other highlights during this years festival included several competition titles such as Sebastien Pilote’s “Quebec” which is a coming-of-age tale “The Fireflies are Gone”, a heartwarming look at today’s youth who refuse to conform to their parents’s desires; the heart-wrenching film “Redemption”, from Israeli filmmaker Joseph Madmony and South African-based Boaz Y. “Yakov” wich is about a father who resurrects a childhood band in order to pay for his sick daughter’s health treatments; and Turkish writer-director Ömür Atay’s startling debut “Brothers” which is about a teenager who is forced to face his family who are consumed with blood ties and rigid traditions. Argentinian director Ana Katz’s dysfunctional holiday drama “Sueño Florianópolis” was another of critics’ favorites and was awarded with the special jury prize and best actress award for the performance of Mercedes Morán. Guy Lodge critic for variety praised this film and wrote "Gustavo Biazzi’s relaxed, roving camerawork is fully in sync with the languid, to-and-fro rhythm of the piece, drinking in the pleasures of the gorgeous scenery without working overtime to contrive travelogue prettiness. Indeed, all the craft contributions are on much the same laid-back page, with a special mention due costume designers Sandra Fink and Diogo Costa for their witty, keen-eyed casualwear: It’s a film in which even the swimsuit of each character, however ostentatious or time-faded, says a little something about them."

Slovenian director Sonja Prosenc returned to KVIFF following her successful debut “The Tree” in 2014 with her new film “History of Love”, which offers a dream-like take on a girl’s loss of her mother. The jury awarded the film with a special jury mention.

The documentary side also impressed with revered filmmaker Vitaly Mansky’s superb take on Putin’s ascent to power with “Putin’s Witnesses” which become the winner of the Grand Prix for best documentary. The Ukrainian-born filmmaker known for sourcing never-before-seen footage, now living in exile in Latvia with his family, gives an insightful look at the eerie years from 1999-2000, when he was head of documentaries for a Russian state television network. His role gave him unprecedented access to moments where we see Putin attempting to look human while visiting one of his older teachers, as well as footage with then-president Boris Yeltsin, who we see initially as proud of his successor while watching the election coverage from home with his family, but later demoralized when Putin doesn’t call him that night after his victory. This documentary received many praises from the critics with one writing “It’s not the first time in “Putin’s Witnesses” that such cheerfully delivered non sequiturs and bald hypocrisies call to mind a certain other president of a major world power. Some viewers are likely to be as disbelieving as Mansky by this point, as the sheer candor of the film’s extraordinary archive material takes on the aura of extremely well-acted fiction; at a time when certain politicians hide behind empty declarations of fake news, this eerie, unnerving film implores us to read their lips.” Austrian-Swiss drama “Walden” is another stand-out, utilizing thirteen 360° panning shots that display a dense forest’s paradoxical migration into chopped wood that is then transferred to a secret, far-off destination. This film was awarded the documentary special jury prize. Skateboarding doc “King Skate” was also be mentioned for its riveting showcase of Czech skaters who paved the way for skillful skateboarding in communist Czechoslovakia despite a lack of Western resources and training. The soundtrack of the film boasts an impactful score from the UK’s ’70s/’80s punk era.

There was also a strong Iranian presence at the festival with the screening. "Amir” by Nima Eghlima competed with 11 other films coming from different countries in the East of the West. “Amir” which tells the story of Amir, a man who in his thirties, and is beleaguered by other peoples’ problems, was also well received by the critic. There was also a press conference and Q & A session held for this film and at this conference, Nima Eghlima, writer and director, Mastaneh Mohajer, editor, and Elaheh Nobakht, international distributor, answered the questions of the reporters.

One of the issues talked about at this conference was the presence of a new generation in Iran cinema and following a different style of thought and filmmaking compared to the other directors.

“Everybody Knows” was also screened at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Directed by Asghar Farhadi, the film was screened at the Horizons Section of the 53rd edition of the event. ”Everybody Knows” details the journey of a family from Buenos Aires to Spain for a celebration. This film was also warmly received by audiences and critics with Peter Bradshow writing that "What marks this film out is the sheer confidence of the ensemble playing, presented in a more forthright, less indirect way than the puzzles of Farhadi’s previous work. There’s something uncomplicatedly watchable and enjoyable about his big wedding scene, with a trace of Coppola or Cimino in its scope."

Another Iranian film screened at this festival was Jafar Panahi’s “3 faces”. Another widley respected and appreciated film. It received high praises from the critics with Jessica Kiang saying that "Panahi’s own role is markedly less central than in his last three films. Mostly he is the silent observer, with leisurely, Kiarostami-esque long takes, often showing a character’s full journey to the camera from a far-off pathway, contributing to the film’s meditative, pensive rhythm. It makes “3 Faces” less punchily playful than “Taxi,” but more moving and ultimately more valuable. This is Jafar Panahi, a filmmaker with more cause than most to feel victimized, turning a deeply respectful, artful and compassionate eye outward, to the struggles of others, and finding such empathy there that the film amounts to a heartfelt statement of solidarity."

On the more “western” side of things, Karlovy Vary’s usual spattering of A-list talent were in attendance, including Tim Robbins who gave a number of impassioned speeches on the need to tell stories to “get us back to the future, to get back to the world of progress.” Awarded with the Crystal Globe for his outstanding contribution to world cinema, the writer, director and musician furthered said in a masterclass talk that he never anticipated his film “Bob Roberts” would come to fruition in America today. Detailing a Republican senator’s run for office, the film gives a striking resemblance to Trump’s election campaign where fear, money, and media exploitation are at play. When asked about the film’s uncanny similarities to the Trump administration, Robbins replied, “I didn’t know at the time, oh my god.” He furthered that all of the elements that would propel Trump to the White House were being made at the time, and that the Reagan administration’s deregulation of media organizations is also to blame where America is today. “Thirty years later we have only four companies who control all the information. And there is fear that the conservative white voter is becoming a minority — so [the politicians] make people fear other people.” Robbins recalled Harry Belafonte telling him the quest for fairness is called the struggle – and that it would be an ongoing constant. “Fascism will always be there and it will always try to come back. Our job as artists and citizens is to try and call attention to it. In the long run, we will win, but there are no victories where it goes away forever, it’s part of the struggle, it’s human nature.”

Barry Levinson also detailed a similar real-life film comparison with his 1997 political satire Wag the Dog. “Wag is not some kind of documentary, it’s just looking at the tools that are available,” he said. “Now you’ve got more tools, you’ve got social media and you just post stories through all types of back channels that can get some traction. The public doesn’t know what to believe anymore. We don’t know what stories are supposedly true, this idea of ‘fake news.’ We watch it on what I guess you would call a split-focus. It’s half entertainment and half mystery. We can’t make sense out of it. There’s too many events that happen now where we can’t make any sense out of it, whatsoever.” Levinson continued that you can fake things much easier now than you could back then. “You can create images on social media that look 100 percent believable, but they’re not. Not to mention all the stories that you read. If you create a visual that actually captures the imagination, it will look real and that will spread at such lightning speed that by the time it’s found out, it has already done its damage. It’s a very, very scary time that we’re living in. I say it’s an age of absurdity.”

At the festival to support the screening of his controversial-ridden film “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”, Terry Gilliam had no shortage of raucous comments at the press conference, beginning with his diversity backlash to the BBC’s unveiling of its new comedy programming, which the BBC’s controller of comedy commissioning Shane Allen emphasized the corporation’s commitment to “the stories that haven’t been told and the voices we haven’t yet heard.”

Gilliam said, “It made me cry: the idea that … no longer six white Oxbridge men can make a comedy show. Now we need one of this, one of that, everybody represented… this is bullshit. I no longer want to be a white male, I don’t want to be blamed for everything wrong in the world: I tell the world now I’m a black lesbian… My name is Loretta and I’m a BLT, a black lesbian in transition.” He continued, “Comedy is not assembled, it’s not like putting together a boy band where you put together one of this, one of that, and everyone is represented.”

Meanwhile in the Austin Film Society talk, feature filmmakers Richard Linklater, David Zellner and Andrew Bujalski were more reticent to make a political stance with their films, with Linklater suggesting film is not as immediate as other forms of media. “You think about it, you want to do something, to make something.” During both the ’04 Bush elections, and recent Texas “bathroom bill” banning transgenders from using the bathroom of their choice, Linklater produced public service announcements to protest against lawmakers. “The anti-Bush ads got me audited,” laughed the Boyhood director.

There was also no shortage of industry talks, with an overriding theme that television and film production across Central and Eastern Europe is receiving more international support and recognition. Since 2011, HBO has been emphasizing local content.

“We want to continue to build and encourage local talent in places where it is less mature in developing high-end television content,” said HBO Europe’s VP of Drama Development, Steve Matthews. “We do it because we believe deeply our job is to build and nurture talent. My job is to help with the structure and architecture of the script — the character, what it’s about, that comes from the scriptwriter.”

Matthews said HBO believes five to six years on they now can produce high-end original productions. During the panel, he announced HBO has ordered six-part Czech ’80s spy drama “Oblivious” that is written by newcomer Ondřej Gabriel, who studied political science at Prague’s Charles University before becoming a playwright, and directed by Ivan Zacharias, the Czech filmmaker behind HBO Europe’s show “Wasteland”.

On the film production side, Czech industry leaders announced at KVIFF that they hoped to raise their tax incentives which is currently, 20 percent for qualifying Czech spending and 10 percent for international spending that applies to film and TV, including all postproduction work to compete with countries including Romania that recently announced their generous 35% incentives scheme, while Estonia offers rebates up to 30% of in-country production costs, as does incentive heavyweight Hungary, who have been offering tax incentives since 2004. Films currently shooting in the Czech Republic are Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit”, starring Scarlett Johansson, while previous films include “Anthropoid”, “The Zookeeper’s Wife”, “Borg vs McEnroe”, “Casino Royale”, “Mission Impossible” and “Child 44”. Within the festival, a total of 36 Czech classics as well as nine world premieres were in the competing sections. Reported within the festival’s paper, KVIFF artistic director Karel Och said, “It’s precisely why foreign journalists and industry come here, to discover local productions.”

Several panels tackled gender inequality, something industry guests said needed to urgently be addressed in the Czech Republic where advertisements on the street are rife with half-naked women. Using the European statistic that dictates approximately 44% of film students are female, yet only one film out of five is directed by a woman in Europe, the panels touched on creating initiatives such as gender equality pledges, setting quantifiable targets, and new funds announced by European governments. Compared to discussions in other European countries including Sweden, France, the UK and the Czech Republic seems miles behind. But it was hopeful to see a slew of passionate speakers on hand to start the ball rolling.

The 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival closed on July 7th with its annual awards ceremony. Radu Jude’s latest film “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” won the Grand Prix - Crystal Globe which comes with $25,000 prize money to the applause of the audiences and critics alike with one critic calling the film “Barbarians” is a fiercely intelligent, engaging and challenging wake-up call, a film that leaves you smarter at the end than when you went in, but also sadder and significantly more terrified. It is easy for unprincipled people to act barbarously if they do not care how history will view them. And it is easy not to care about how history will view you, if you do not care about history at all,”

“Sueño Florianópolis” Directed by Ana Katz received the special jury prize and the best director award was given to Olmo Omerzu for the film “Winter Flies”. Mercedes Morán received the award for best actress for her role in the film “Sueño Florianópolis”. While Moshe Folkenflik become the recipient of best actor award for his role in the film “Redemption” and Robert Pattinson received the Festival President Award.

According to organizers, the festival was attended by 13,080 accredited visitors, slightly down compare to last year. Of that number 10,857 had Festival Passes, 403 were filmmakers, 1190 film professionals, and 630 journalists.

35 films received their world premiere, while eight had their international premiere and seven their European premiere.

On the industry side, 1373 film buyers, sellers, distributors, film festival programmers, representatives of film institutions, and other industry professionals were accredited for the festival. 545 accredited film professionals came from abroad. 265 film buyers and distributors and 183 festival programmers chose from the new films and Works in Progress.

Overall the festival while not attended by as many people as the years before, it still received a warm welcome from the world of cinema. The festival like many others also become the stage for filmmakers and others to talk about the current political climate and show the issues that people are presently facing as a result of the current wave of political uphill that is encompassing the world. The festival also continued to follow the step taken by other festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival and talked about female inequality in cinema industry, a subject that has been discussed all around the world by the women of cinema more so in the past year. As Cannes and now Karlovy Vary Film Festival showed the issues of woman inequality and the current political climates has not only taken over the world of cinema but seems to be some of the biggest issues that concern today’s filmmakers and the people in the cinema industry, pushing them to use cinema and film to bring these issues to the attention of people. Making them aware of the dangers of compliance and ignorance that has bring about the issues they are facing today and will hopefully show that with more understanding and paying better attention these dark days will one day finally come to an end.